


Small

by Beth Harker (Beth_Harker)



Category: Newsies (1992)
Genre: Canon Era, M/M, post strike
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 10:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17221943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beth_Harker/pseuds/Beth%20Harker
Summary: Javid + stargazing





	Small

David waved a lazy hand in front of his face, a futile attempt to dispel the mosquitoes that swarmed around him and Jack. The sun had gone down an hour ago, and the air had cooled much faster than the warm bricks of the roof, where David had stretched out for rest and company.

Jack’s hand was close to David’s, and their shoulders were touching, but only just. It would be the easiest thing in the world for David to lay his head on Jack’s shoulder if he wanted to do that, just as it would be easy for Jack to wrap an arm around him if that was what they were meant to do. It was the kind of thing that David had thought about often enough as he was drifting off to sleep at night, but maybe he was tireder than he realized if he was having those kind of thoughts now. David forced his drooping eyes fully open, and willed himself to sit up just a little straighter.

Jack laughed. “You wanna go in?”

“No.” David shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged, his palms flat, and his face turned up towards the sky. School started up in three days time. There wouldn’t be many more nights like this. Jack lit a cigarette, and David didn’t tell him not to. Maybe it would keep the bugs away.

“Suit yourself.” Jack took a drag of his cigarette. He contorted his mouth like he was trying to blow smoke rings and, after a couple of tries, he made a small one.

“Is that supposed to impress me?” David teased.

“You saying you could do it?”

“It’s not that. It’s just…” David trailed off.

“Don’t go knocking other guys’ talents, huh? Your ma ever tell you that?”

“She’s more concerned in making me develop my own talents, unfortunately. She’s convinced that I need a lot of them. Ones that don’t involve inciting strikes and workers’ unions.”

“It’s time we both retired from the rabble rousing business,” Jack said. He sounded dead serious, though David couldn’t imagine it actually happening. Jack Kelly was made of equal parts trouble and charm. He raised rabbles just walking down the street, or brushing his teeth in the morning. And as for David himself, even when he tried to keep his head down and study, his mouth had a way of spreading discord.

David’s mouth was what Jack was looking at now, with a scrutiny that made David wonder if Jack could read his mind. He’d just moved his hand to cover it when Jack turned abruptly away, looking at the sky.

“Does it ever make you feel small?” Jack asked.

“What? Accidentally getting people to go on strike?”

Jack snorted. “Some accident, but that ain’t what I meant.”

“What are you getting at then?”

“Y'know. Space and the stars and everything.”

David considered. “Well, it’s not as if I expect to feel big compared to the whole entire universe.”

“Yeah, but the way I see it, the sky stretches all the way from here to Santa Fe, and it don’t care any if we wins or loses. We’re real small compared to it.”  
“That’s why we band together,” David said. He swallowed back the lump in his throat that came with the realization that he’d be back at the books soon enough, singular and far away from his union.

Within moments, however, the nervousness turned to warmth as Jack reached out and took tight hold of David’s hand.


End file.
